If you thought college was expensive now, just wait until next year.

On March 20, Alamo Community Colleges raised tuition by 5 percent. This is the fifth straight year that ACC costs have increased, resulting in a 42 percent increase in tuition and fees since 2002-03.

Tuition has been rising at public universities in Texas since the state Legislature deregulated it in 2003, allowing the boards of individual colleges and universities to set their own rates. At the same time, the state funding to those public schools has been decreasing in recent years.

Those budget cuts combined with rising costs necessitate a raise in tuition, ACC administrators said. The increase will bring in an additional $3 million to ACC to absorb inflation and raise professors' pay, among other things.

Tuition and fees at private universities are going up, too, in large part to keep up with rising administrative costs, technology costs and faculty and administrator salaries and benefits, according to a spokeswoman at the University of the Incarnate Word.

ALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGES
2006-2007: $680
2007-2008: $712
Increase: 4.7 percent
Per semester for 12 credit hours

UTSA
2006-2007: $3,093
2007-2008: $3,349
Increase: 8.2 percent
Per semester for 15 credit hours

UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD
2006-2007: $8,700
2007-2008: $9,200
Increase: 5.7 percent
Per semester for 12-18 credit hours

TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY
2006-2007: $9,360
2007-2008: $9,970
Increase: 6.5 percent
Per semester for 12-17 credit hours

OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY
2006-2007: $8,950
2007-2008: $9,308
Increase: 4 percent
Per semester for 12-19 credit hours

ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY
2006-2007: $9,667
2007-2008: $10,150
Increase: 5 percent
Per semester for 12-18 credit hours

TRINITY UNIVERSITY
2006-2007: $11,568
2007-2008: $12,432
Increase: 7.5 percent
Per semester for 12-18 credit hours